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Twinning
March 11, 1969
Town twinning with Münster
In 1966, the Tunisian governor of Sousse and Nabeule, Amor Chéchia, visited Eber Snoek, businessman from Münster, and suggested a partnership between Münster and Monastir. However, the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1967 delayed a decision on the partnership that had been proposed. It was not until a year later that the City Council of Münster unanimously and gratefully accepted the offer. On March 11, 1969, Mayor Bechir Charmine and First Mayor Dr. Albrecht Beckel signed the partnership certificate in the Friedenssaal of the town hall.
Münster’s fourth twin town was the first to be located outside of Europe. That may have been the reason why the partnership was initially limited to delegation and work visits as well as internships at the city administration of Münster. In the period that followed, a close collaboration developed between the artists’ association pArt 96 and artists from Monastir. Schools, too, made contact with one another. With the upheaval of the political system in Tunisia, the City of Münster joined the “CoMun” network at the end of 2011, founded by the Society for International Cooperation on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office. The network’s aim is to support the implementation of local democratic structures, for example with conferences, seminars and internships. On a private level, exchanges between artists and musicians also take place again. Regular citizens’ trips to the twin city are organised by the partnership association.
News
Official opening in pictures
Monastir square in Kinderhaus officially opened
For 53 years, the town twinning between Münster and the Tunisian city of Monastir has existed – but until now, no place in Münter was named after the North African city. That has changed now: On the 8th of December 2022, Lord Mayor Markus Lewe has invited the delegation from Monastir to the new residential area on the former Moldrickx site in Kinderhaus. There, representatives of both cities inaugurated the new Monastir Square, which is located directly on Westhoffstraße.
Official press release
Digital climate partnership
Municipal climate partnership
The twin towns Münster and Monastir participate in the project “Municipal climate partnership” of the Service Agency Communities in One World in cooperation with the NRW 21 committee. The goal is to develop a joint action concept including topics and projects that are important for climate protection in both cities. Among the topics now agreed upon are the following: Waste management, climate-adapted rainwater management, sustainable urban development.
The core team of the Münster city administration, which is responsible for the implementation, consists of various offices: International Office, Office for Mobility and Civil Engineering, Office for Green Spaces, Environment and Sustainability, Waste Management Services. The team, which promotes the project in the urban community and gives advice, also includes the council groups, the University of Münster, the University of Applied Sciences, the Advisory Council for Municipal Development Cooperation, Freundeskreis Münster-Monastir e.V. and the Overberg Kolleg.
50 years of town twinning Münster – Monastir
Reception in the Friedenssaal
Partnership with a focus on climate
The round anniversary was celebrated in Münster with guests from Monastir. At the invitation of Mayor Markus Lewe, a delegation from the Tunisian twin town visited Münster from September 11 to 14, 2019. The partnership Münster – Monastir is experiencing a new upswing in the context of its 50th anniversary. The Münster – Monastir Circle of Friends has organised civic trips to Tunisia in recent months, and new connections have been forged, for example a school partnership. There is also a lot happening regarding the cooperation between the cities’ administrations: Both municipalities have entered into a climate partnership and have promised to jointly develop an action catalogue for both cities within two years.
Picture gallery with impressions of the festivities